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Perham's Kelsi Vomacka fifth on balance beam in University of Wisconsin-La Crosse season opening victory

La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse gymnastics squad opened its 2011-12 season with a victory at the UW-L Invitational Friday night in Mitchell Hall. The Eagles split their team into maroon and gray squads. The UW-L maroon squad won the meet with a score of 176.425. Winona State University (Minn.) was second (172.200) followed by Hamline University (Minn.) third (172.100) and the UW-L gray squad fourth (171.975).

UW-L, winners of the last four National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) titles, scored 46.750 on the vault; 43.975 on the uneven parallel bars; 44.900 on the balance beam and 40.800 on the floor exercise to win the meet.

The Eagles' Christa Booman captured the all-around title (36.725) Friday night. She also won the uneven parallel bars (9.600) and balance beam (9.450) while finishing third on the vault (9.475).

Katrina Schuch won the vault (9.600) for UW-L and placed third on the floor exercise (9.400).

Taylor Cochran, Karinne Couture, Kahlynn Hunt, Tegan Oare and Jenna Swails each recorded a pair of top-10 finishes Friday. Cochran was fourth on the uneven bars (8.850) and sixth on the balance beam (8.975) while Couture finished seventh on the vault (9.150) and eighth on the uneven bars (8.575).

Hunt placed fifth on the vault (9.300) and tied for seventh on the balance beam (8.900); Oare was second on the floor exercise (9.425) and ninth on the uneven bars (8.475) and Swails was second on the vault (9.525) and sixth on the uneven bars (8.725).

UW-L's Jen Andersen was second on the uneven bars (9.000) while Kjirsten Jacobson finished third on the balance beam (9.275) and Jessica Herrmann placed fourth on the floor exercise (9.225).